Awaiting Arms
by Lunation
Summary: No matter what age you are, you'll always find a moment when you're in need of someone to wrap yourself around and cry into. The girl's vacation wasn't suppose to have this situation come into play, but the manipulation of an enemy can turn the tables and cause relationships to crash; making this essential. DAML Contestshipping, StevenxBrianna, & several minor shippings.


Hello, my lovely readers! I just had a sudden burst of inspiration and decided to throw together a new two-shot focused on the girls, rather than the guys. Did you know what Sootopolis City is based on Santorini, Greece? I never realized that until now. Wow. I hope you all like this! Also, may I add, I'm open to requests. Simply stop by my profile, click Beta, and read through my preferences for which shippings I will accept. I can also make arrangements for ones not listed! Warning, my little readers! There are some explicit words in this shot, so be warned! Nothing too extreme, though. Last but not least, if you hate Ursula, you will love this. Enjoy, darlings!

* * *

Two-shot : Awaiting Arms

* * *

A brunette pile of hair lay messily in a bunch on top of the blanket cover and tossed every few seconds. Grumbles were muffled from the girl while her face was encased in a pillow sheet. Each strand was perfectly and precisely colored with natural tones, glimmering with the rays of light that shone through the pale uniform curtains. The double bunk room was a war zone; having chairs covered in food, clothing and undergarments flung on the ceiling fan, and a movie from the previous night still remaining paused on the television screen.

The front entrance way was only several feet, maybe ten, away. The simple gate was top-notch and had several locks aligned down the left side. It provided the three sleeping women with a sense of comfort and protection. What could possibly be dangerous about napping in a Poke Center after a busy afternoon of competing?

A furious and feisty pound made itself acquainted with the rim of the door and the hasty sound of unlocking flew through the awakening coordinator's ears. She flung off her comforter and gazed over to her friend next to her with a paranoid expression. She noticed how her sister-in-law was still exhausted and her chest rose with each breath.

"Leaf. _Leaf_!" she whispered with urgency. With no response, May began to ring her hair with frustration. The sounds continued to be produced from outside the room and reminded the girl why she needed to contact her roommates in the first place. She jabbed the dozed off beauty in the stomach. "Wake up you Snorlax! I think someone's trying to break in!"

"Gary, stop it..." she giggled, still unconscious. She flinched and whined about being tickled. Her head rolled side to side and a tiny smile appeared on her face. However, the same reaction didn't match up with May's.

"Um, ew? I'm going to barf, but not until after I get you out." May grabbed her arm and yanked her off of the edge. Leaf's arms connected with the carpeted floor and she let out a yelp. "Good, you're up."

"What the heck, May! I'm trying to-"

The sapphire eyed girl slammed her hand to her friend's mouth. She pointed her index finger over towards the kitchen and motioned towards her earlobe. After waiting only a few seconds, an odd squeaking and kinking was heard.

"Dude, what is that?" Leaf gasped. She stood up and looked above her bed frame to see another body oblivious to what was going on. "Should we wake up princess?"

May shook her head "No, I don't think so. She'll freak out more than we have already. Anyways, she would probably be more harm than help. I don't want her getting herself hurt like she did on our last trip to Sunnyshore."

The newly married woman reminisced about her last girl get-together and how it went from pleasantly relaxing to horrid in a matter of minutes. They had all learned to never let Dawn wander around a child's playground unsupervised. She agreed, afraid of having to get forehead stitches again.

"I have to side with you on that one, Maple. She can quite the hazard. Maybe it was because she was excited to see Lucas again. You were like that when we visited Steven when we passed through Lilycove to get _here_," Leaf pointed out and acknowledged the gorgeous scenery out the window as she rolled back the curtains. In the middle of the sea, the sky was a glossy blue and there were no clouds to be seen. A flock of Wingulls were perched along the cruise line railing and had conveniently caught a ride with some fellow trainers.

"Yeah," May sighed. "But Lucas obviously intends to make Paul jealous, even though they aren't dating. He still has feelings for Dawn and it's obvious. He basically lays it right in front of everyone."

May's accompanying brunette rolled her eyes and snorted. "You know _what else _is obvious? Steven's been on the rebound ever since he broke up with Ursula. I loved those two together, and I heard that they cut their relationship because of the most stupid argument. They looked good, but obviously weren't meant to be. But he's seriously been hunting you down. Ever since him and Brianna didn't work out, actually. They were legitimately perfect. Then stupid Ursula weaved her way in. Good thing Stone figured it out. Drew's been smart to have been keeping an eye on you while we're away with his video chats, though."

Yes, she was noticing how Steven was out of character and often checked out other women while they would take their friendly walks around town. But May knew he wasn't interested in her and still had a deep devotion to his former girlfriend, Brianna. May somehow managed to stay close with both of them after the catastrophic breakup, although she can't recall how exactly she was able to do so.

She often felt out of the loop while spending time with Steven and Ursula, never being able to free herself of an eerie feeling when she was in close proximity to the girl. She dressed quite skimpily and wasn't fit for what the older Birch deserved. Everyone knew that, even him, but he still tried to forget about Brianna with any method her could. Those trails were extremely unsuccessful, though.

May gasped, unconvinced, or at least physically trying not to show it. "Drew can't be jealous. He doesn't get like that. And anyways, he's right in Sootopolis. We'll be there in a few hours and I can see him. There's no need to worry!"

"Hey," a groggy voice murmured. Dawn perked up and showcased her bed head. "That's my catchphrase, missy. No touchy-touchy. Get your own."

The three stood silent for a few moments. Just as one of them was on the tip of releasing laughter, the screeching of metal was heard. Dawn screamed.

"What in the name of Ho-oh was that bloody sound?" she faux cried. The blunette buried her midnight locks into her arms and cradled her body. "Who's going to check it out? No it!" Her middle finger reached her nose and remained locked to the patch of skin. Leaf immediately followed, leaving May to the dirty work.

"You can't be serious!" May howled. The girls flung themselves back into bed and riled the covers over their bodies. "You both suck."

Taking a shallow breath, she hobbled over to the foot of the ladder. She arched her neck to see two pairs of eyes watching her every move. She mentally slapped herself.

The closer she walked to the door, the louder and more obnoxious the sound was. May felt eager to fling it open, yet took her approach slowly and with caution. "Okay. One, I'm going to kill you guys. Two, you better tell Drew I love him if I'm kidnapped. And... three!"

"Whoa!"

May screamed as a blob of red came hurdling its way towards her. The object, person rather, fell on top of her and they both tumbled to the ground.

"Mewtwo," Misty stood up and dusted her cropped shirt off. She launched her hand down to help May up. "Did it really take you guys ten minutes to let me in? I went for a swim and forgot my keys. Did you really freak out that much? Did you even notice I wasn't here?"

Too embarrassed to admit the truth, the brunettes stayed quiet.

"I noticed, Mist!" Dawn piped in.

Misty huffed her shoulders. "Good try, Berlitz. Good try. Now let's all go back into our little cots before I murder all of you with my trusty mallet."

Hours, which felt like mere minutes, passed by. The girls nestled like Butterfrees in their cocoons gradually arose one after the other. To help speed up the process, one of them chose to act as the mother.

"Rise and shine, hola!" Dawn chuckled into each of her friend's tired faces. "The bell just rang! That's our signal to leave, girls! Let's get a move on so we can see Mr. Stony and Mr. Hayden."

"Dawn, what the hell is wrong with you?" Misty growled and rubbed her eyes.

"Nothing! Wake up, buttercup!" she sing-songed.

"Her energy will be the end of me," Leaf coughed. The blunette suspiciously glanced over, but shook it off and continued to fidget with the lace bows on her suitcase. She was preoccupied oh so easily. Misty and May went over to the kitchenette to wrap up their leftover food and either throw it out or save it for when they reach land.

Misty emerged with May from the bathroom, carrying their cosmetics and washing supplies. "Ready, ladies?" the red head cried. They all echoed each other and nodded, picking up their belongings. "Now march, troops!"

* * *

Loading off of the small ship seemed like an easy objective, but had many issues. Dawn's flip flop magically got stuck in a piece of the boardwalk, thus making her trip, and then continued by making Leaf and May go down too. Misty was lucky to have went to grab a souvenir for Ash and didn't end up a part of that incident.

"Now be careful to watch your step," Misty cautioned, glaring daggers at the youngest girl. She shrunk under the wrath of the gym leader and squeaked a measly yes. "I think we should head to Wallace's building. He should be inside, unless he's deep sea fishing. What a nut."

"Hey!" May piped in with a pout. Her eyes showed an offended look. "I've done that before, and as a matter of fact, it is beyond fun and very soothing."

"Well, you're crazy too so of course you like it," Leaf concluded. She laughed when she saw May begin to fume. "Calm down, Petalburg. Don't get your panties in a knot."

"Come on. To Sir Wallace's we go!" Dawn snorted after a feminine laugh and skipped ahead down the plank-like boarding. Her companions had to sprint after in order to catch up. May released her speedy pace to give a free moment to admire the atmosphere. The small blue-topped cottages of the city were mounted in the wedges of the mountainous island, giving it a distinct and one-of-a-kind look. Sootopolis was known for its elegancy and luxurious views, which were undeniably different from many other region shore spots.

The oceanic water there was more transparent than versus locations and has been a site of recorded legendary sightings over the past hundred years. Wallace has noted about seeing Kyogre's spout erupting on early mornings during the summer before. Noticing how far back she was, May dodged people as she followed them to the gym. Exhausted, minus for Misty, they dragged themselves over to the set of sliding doors and barely slithered through in perfect timing to listen to a a verbal fight.

"Well you're just a stupid bitch!"

Dawn dramatically lifted the palm of her hand to her eyes. She always had an animosity for curse words and always told her friends how it reminded her of how her parents used to fight before their divorce when she was young. "Oh, that's not a nice phrase for ladies to say!" Unable to see who was in the middle of this thanks to the mass amount of people gathered around, Dawn pulled Misty underneath and crawled to the epicenter. Curiosity nipped the blunette. "Follow me, Mist."

When they pulled themselves to their feet, they witnessed a cat fight on the verge of happening.

"Oh, I'm a bitch?" Brianna asked with raised eyebrows. She had a scratch that ran down the length of her defined cheekbone, and Dawn could only guess that the other girl brought about that. "You broke Steven and I up in the first place. I don't support this immature name calling game, but some one outta put you in your place." She swiped the bangs of her pixie cut hair behind her ear as she watched the menacing girl stalk her and give her a once-over. She retracted back at the sugar coated laugh that was given back to her.

Directly in between Brianna and the taller woman was Steven and Drew; ready to intercept the possible brutal attack that the two were about to partake in. They were solely focused on them and didn't see their friends in front of them nor give a glance to any crowd member. Steven stood torn on the floor. His eyes weren't their typical turquoise and his knuckles looked bloodless. Drew, on the other hand, had his feet planted firmly down and could be heard huffing in frustration. He was constantly whispering back to the Hoenn champion, probably considering plans to mold.

"Oh, you think you're so tough? You're _single_. You _loser,_" she cackled hypocritically. "Little Steven over here dumped your sorry ass right on your fifth anniversary, right?" She waited for a reply, which she didn't get. "Hm? I know I'm right. And you know what? I can have whatever I want and _whoever_ I want. I don't need him."

The ashen pink haired girl maliciously smirked and planned her idea with an awful timing. May and Leaf had finally pushed their way to meet up with the rest of their petite group to see Ursula lip locked and tugging at the collar of Drew. May had heard the female's conversation going on, but wasn't prepared to see _that_.

May prattled out a small breath of air. Her red headed counterpart put a hand to her shoulder, but she flicked it off. "No. I'm fine." The top coordinator still remained engulfed in Ursula's grasp. It burned the brunette to watch. She took ten steps forward and emerged out of the cluster of people. Steven sunk his hand through his hair and looked at her in sympathetic annoyance. Brianna tensely shook next to him, still weeping from the oral assailment given to her.

"It's okay, Brianna," May croaked with a weak voice. All remaining eyes flew to her and Ursula grinning victoriously, tossing her wavy tresses along her neck. Drew watched in front of him in horror. The brunette's orbs fogged over and a tear dripped down her paler than normal cheek. He noticed, and she saw his fixated stare. May urgently slashed it away. "Y-you see, we're _both_ single now."

May choked as she held in a sob and stormed out of the building. People who had previously stood their ground and made her have to climb underneath their feet made a parting path for her to leave through.

"May!" Misty called and cupped her hands around her lips in hope to amplify her voice. Even if she had heard, though, May ignored her. The Waterflower pivoted her body angrily. "_You_." She heaved her middle finger up and angled it directly in Ursula's line of sight. "And to think my friend already put up with enough garbage. You're disgusting. I don't act like a low life-"

"Like you are," Leaf jetted in. She stuck her tongue out as Misty grimly glared at her for intercepting.

"Anyway, continuing off of my dear friend's point, I'm proper. Not many people think I am or even act like that for that matter, but I choose to be like that. And also, I would love to say that I hate your guts, but I'm too classy for that. So I'll simply say that I have acquired a strong dislike you. Now leave right now or my Gyarados will body slam you to Unova."

"Well played, Misty dear," Dawn cheered. She threw her hands up and awaited two high-fives, but noticed the concerned looks on both of their faces and let it slide. "We should really go look for May. Sorry."

Leaf hissed under her breath something inaudible. Misty jammed her elbow into her rib cage. "Ugh! What was that for?"

"What did you just say?"

"Oh," she trailed off and looked towards the floor, curling her brown curls with her fingertips. They followed her gaze and slowly rose their heads to an expectant Steven, Brianna, and Drew. "I was about to say look in front of yourselves. Too late."

"May," Brianna gasped as she ran up to them, panting. "Where... where did she go?"

The three girls who were questioned shrugged simultaneously. They only saw her leave the room, not exactly knowing where she had head off to. Dawn looked back towards the door. She groaned. "Look. It's pouring!" The tall victorian windows had thick drops of water seeping down the frames and the other side of the glass was dreary. Clouds were now splotched along the horizon, covering up most of the sunlight. "I'm _so_ not ruining my hair over that."

"Oh yeah?" Misty said. Leaf swore that she saw flames arising from her pupils. "Well our best friend is in the middle of that, so unless you don't care about her, wait here for all I care. And I do care, so you better get off your butt and follow me. I expect you guys to join us, too. Unless you are sided with Ursula."

"Well, I'm clearly not," Brianna pointed out. She shook her head at the mentioning of the girl and turned to Drew's side. "You're in a deep grave right now, Drew. You better work your ass off for the next hour."

"I know," he whispered. He didn't smirk one bit, which was an odd thing _not_ to see on his face. He always held himself up on a pillar of utmost pride. Dawn softly smiled when she noticed how upset he was. _He better be,_ she thought.

"Well? Grab an umbrella and move out, you imbeciles!" Misty crowed.

* * *

"What a perfect cliché," May laughed while tears dribbled down her face. Her clothes weren't only drenched in tears now, but precipitation. Her shoes squawked through the grass and went closer to the landmass of water. She peered into the massive pool and bored her vision into her distressed reflection. "Of course it rains now. Thanks, Arceus. _Thanks_. Is this punishment for not visiting Max on his birthday? Or maybe calling Grandpa Oak late?"

The achromatic pebble sidewalks were lightly disguised with rain and created an unsteady platform to walk upon. Having to walk down staircase after staircase isn't a simple task to complete when you have to clasp yourself to the railing and make sure you don't end up tumbling down. May speculated to herself, wondering how the townspeople had to deal with that on an often basis since the weather wasn't permanently sunny there.

May had finally reached the final collection of stairs. The wind picked up and her mind quickly chose a focal point for her to concentrate on, so she didn't have to refresh her memory on what had happened. The sea.

Anyone could tell that the girl from the west of Hoenn had a fondness for swimming and sailing. Some could also argue that Misty bestowed this upon her, which may be true, but the origin of this healthy addiction started soon after her accompanied journey with Ash and Brock. They had opened many new activities to her, even including becoming what she was today. After thirteen years of having a bond and spending her summer months with them, she was able to enjoy the things she feared as a child.

May kept her head low and further continued on to the abundance of water. The soft cooing of the waves and smell of salt gave her a dab of relaxation. Her feet bent over the edge of the minuscule cliff that overlooked the pool.

She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but she thought she felt little hands massaging the ends of her toes. Her eyebrow arched and she waited for a riposte.

"No, it's for not visiting me."

May jumped. The voice was powerful, yet sounded so small. It wasn't as baritone as Ash and was more comparable to Pikachu, if believable. It was recognizable, but she couldn't connect it to anyone she knew at the moment. The raindrops began to slow down and formed into puddles along the perimeter of the island.

"What... who's there?" she whispered. Her head pounded with confusion. "Who are you?"

"Look down, mommy," it stated happily. She obeyed and saw a blue figure wading by the surface. A ruby gem glowed from its chest and the creature had two floppy antennae that waved to her speech.

"Oh my gosh. _Oh my gosh_. You're alive! Mana-" He hopped out of the water and flung himself into her arms. Her emotions were completely scrambled, but she found a source of comfort from the hurt she had just experienced. She tightened her grip around her lost Pokemon. _"Manaphy."_

* * *

I am actually in love with this plot. I've never really felt so strongly for any of my stories, other than Coming Home. The continuation of this two-shot should be available in the next week or so. Please review, favorite, and/or follow. I really appreciate the support. xx


End file.
